Arbitration Panel Suspends Yankee Alex Rodriguez for 2014 Season

Decision Cuts MLB's Original 211-Game Ban, But Slugger Says He Will Ask Court to Intervene

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Alex Rodriguez
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By

Daniel Barbarisi

Updated Jan. 11, 2014 6:24 p.m. ET

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will miss the entire 2014 season, after arbitrators on Saturday reduced his standing suspension to 162 games from 211.

The decision was handed down by a three-man panel chaired by arbitrator Fredric Horwitz. Major League Baseball originally had suspended Mr. Rodriguez in August for 211 games for his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Mr. Rodriguez said he would seek to stop the suspension in court. "I have been clear that I did not use performance-enhancing substances as alleged in the notice of discipline…and to prove it I will take this fight to federal court," he said in a statement.

Despite the reduced suspension, the ruling represents a victory for MLB and a defeat for Mr. Rodriguez in what has been an acrimonious battle over drug policy, the league's powers and the future of one of its well-known players.

Mr. Rodriguez, 38, has the fifth-most home runs in Major League Baseball history and is six years into a 10-year, $275 million contract—the richest in the sport's history.

Timeline: A-Rod's Tumultuous Career

MLB has been determined to rid the game of performance-enhancing drugs, a divisive issue for years. The two sides in this dispute have publicly taken shots at each other in recent months, with Rodriguez accusing commissioner Bud Selig of misconduct and MLB chief operating officer Rob Manfred terming Rodriguez's career as "tarnished." Mr. Manfred also has denied Mr. Rodriguez's claims of misconduct against Mr. Selig.

In a statement on Saturday, the league said, "While we believe the original 211-game suspension was appropriate, we respect the decision rendered by the panel and will focus on our continuing efforts on eliminating performance-enhancing substances from our game."

The Yankees, who now don't have their star third baseman for 2014 but also don't have to pay the $25 million he is owed for the season, said they "respect Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, the arbitration process, as well as the decision released today by the arbitration panel."

The ban remains the longest drug-related suspension in MLB history. The arbitration panel consisted of Mr. Horwitz, Mr. Manfred, as league representative, and a representative of the Major League Baseball Players Association—General Counsel Dave Prouty. The latter two voted for their respective sides, as expected, leaving Horwitz as the deciding vote.

"The MLBPA strongly disagrees with the award issued today in the grievance of Alex Rodriguez, even despite the arbitration panel's decision to reduce the duration of Mr. Rodriguez's unprecedented 211-game suspension," the union said. "We recognize that a final and binding decision has been reached, however, and we respect the collectively bargained arbitration process which led to the decision."

In January 2013, the Miami New Times published a story alleging that Biogenesis, a South Florida antiaging clinic, had supplied performance enhancing drugs to several baseball players. Among them allegedly was Mr. Rodriguez, who admitted in an unrelated instance in 2009 to using PEDs from 2001 to 2003.

The initial reports linked Rodriguez and the other players to Biogenesis chief Anthony Bosch via handwritten records and patient logs. Mr. Bosch ultimately gave testimony that served as the foundation of MLB's case against the players. The story was enough to raise questions but not enough for Baseball to take action. MLB investigators explored further, and as it was later learned, Mr. Rodriguez's legal team and MLB investigators began buying primary documents to buttress their respective arguments from private individuals who had records from the clinic.

In July, former National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun accepted a 65-game ban for his connection to Biogenesis. Two weeks later, MLB hit Mr. Rodriguez and 12 other players with suspensions: 211 games for Mr. Rodriguez, whom the league accused of trying to thwart the investigation, and 50 for the others.

All the players involved accepted suspensions except for Mr. Rodriguez, who challenged the ruling and was allowed to play while under appeal, setting up a scenario where Mr. Rodriguez made his season debut the same day that MLB determined he should receive the longest suspension related to performance enhancing drugs in baseball history. Mr. Rodriguez played out the remainder of last season under appeal, appearing in 44 games for the Yankees, while hitting .244, with seven home runs and 19 RBI.

As soon as the season ended, closed-door arbitration hearings over Mr. Rodriguez's appeal began, with his supporters gathering outside MLB's Park Avenue offices to cheer his arrivals and departures.

Five days into those hearings, Mr. Rodriguez sued Mr. Selig and MLB in court, alleging that MLB's pursuit of action against him had denied him sponsorship opportunities and damaged his business interests. The court case, which is still pending, could serve as a second avenue for Rodriguez to press his case against the league.

Mr. Rodriguez's attorneys have asked a judge to send the case back to New York State Court, where it was initially filed in October. MLB is seeking to have the case dismissed, arguing that Rodriguez's complaints are subject to arbitration under the collective bargaining agreement. A hearing on that case is scheduled for Jan. 23.

But on Saturday, Mr. Rodriguez maintained he is still hoping to get back in Yankee pinstripes. "I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship," Mr., Rodriguez said.

According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Mr. Rodriguez plans to attend Yankee spring training next month and to play in 2015 once his suspension is over. It wasn't immediately clear whether the suspension would allow Mr. Rodriguez to attend spring training.

Even if Mr. Rodriguez serves the one-season suspension, his contract would run for another three years from 2015 for $61 million.

The players not taking PEDs are already at a disadvantage. This is why the Players union opposed testing for decades. Most players take PEDs, and I don't blame them. It would be risky to not take PEDs. These hormones are hard to detect and help players recover faster from injury and have longer careers. As a fan I expect my players to take PEDs. It is part of the game, just like batting practice and training. This is why they get the big bucks. But now they need to be more careful and self administer heir drug cocktails to avoid detection. In Mexico it is easy to obtain these banned substances and it is not too hard to learn how to administer them yourself to avoid to complications of being informed on by disgruntled blackmailers.

Just as marijuana is becoming legal in many states, PEDs will be allowed by athletes in the future. In the past only amateurs could compete in the Olympics. Today professionals compete. Things change, and the use of PEDs will once again be allowed by professional athletes. Trying to end this practice does more harm to professional athletes than allowing them to use PEDs. If PEDs were allowed , it would be much safer for the athletes, as they could obtain treatment from legit doctors and would not need to take un-proven substances to avoid detection.

Rodriguez and the other players accused of drug taking recently were not found to have done so because of any tests administered by MLB but by the dubious statements arising out of this Biogenesis swamp.

Since PED drugs weren't detected in the ongoing tests of players and so many were found to have taken them then it is reasonable to conclude that drug taking is pretty widespread throughout sports. With so many contracts in the tens of millions how could that not be the case. The bigger the money the weaker the will to not cheat.

In fact, the Players Association tacitly admits to that since their representative voted with Rodriguez in the Arbitration panel, in the face of pretty good evidence, because they probably want to protect the current drug taking players in baseball from more aggressive testing which would out more of them.

Frankly, I'm not happy over the ending of Rodriguez's career. He's probably the finest all-around ballplayer I've ever seen. A powerful hitter and a terrific fielder with a rocket arm. Too bad there wasn't someone around him to keep him on the straight.

A-Rod has many issues, his less than stellar personal life prominent among them. However, he is getting railroaded here and there is no way that this will not put the players union and other players in a weakened position in the years to come. Any time teams are in a bad spot with a contract, "Uh oh, there might be (insert excuse here) reasons to void the contract!"

I personally would like to see him play. Performance "enhancements" have been a part of sports since the beginning. The fact that baseball is just NOW getting tough on a certain class of PEDs is a joke. Selig has conducted himself poorly and this looks like a witch hunt. I hope A-Rod prevails in court and gets back on the field this year.

Why are some PEDs allowed ? Cortisone shots improve performance and have been used for decades. Why is Tommy John surgery allowed ? It improves a pitchers performance and extends their careers . Why are pain killers allowed ? Players would not have the ability to perform without them. Most of the ball players in the 60s to the 80s took greenies (a from of methamphetamine ) many of whom are now in the HOF.

Nicotine is now considered a PED by the Olympics , as it has been shown to improve the performance of Golfers and other athletes. Who determines which PEDs are allowed ? Will caffeine be banned ? many players take Ritalin which is a prescribed amphetamine. Will this PED be banned ? Balco and his team of scientists and other like them , will continue to develop new and better PEDs. Players will continue to take them. I would too, if I was an athlete. I take PEDs every day to help me perform better at work, as do our soldiers and fighter pilots. People should have the freedom to ingest substances to improve their life..

Your libertarian views notwithstanding, by allowing PEDs it would immediately disadvantage those athletes who wouldn't take them while advantaging those that would. In the end sports would be reduced to a pharmacological contest. Prohibiting them does not prevent their use but it does impose a severe price if an athlete is caught using them. It's admittedly not a good system but better than doing nothing.

But if A-Rod was kept from juicing, he would not have been among the top 10 home run hitters of all time and they Yankees never would have signed him.

He is an obvious liar , just like Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Tiger Woods, Marion Jones etc..If anything , these cases demonstrate that athletes can easily use PEDs without detection. Players will learn from this, need to find better sources for your PEDs and learn how to self administer. These athletes only got caught because their suppliers got busted or people ratted them out.

Professional athletes should be allowed to take PEDs. It allows players to recover faster from injury and extends their careers. Athletes have always taken extreme measures to improve their performance, even Babe Ruth injected himself with goat testicle extract. If HGH was available in the 50s all the Greta athletes would have taken it.

lol--to be honest, i don't blame you as a yankees fan. i just like the player. wish he was more of a leader :/ i am sure you feel that he has devalued the meaning of what it is to be a yankee and i would agree to some degree he has.

If MLB had any concern over the health of their players they would allow players to take PEDs under a physicians supervision. They are only concerned with their image. A-Rod is one of many who use shady doctors to get their PEDs and then they take other drugs to mask detection of the PEDs. Even Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test, although they tested him several times during the actual Tour De France race and multiple times every year for over a decade.

Thankfully my employer does not test me for performance enhancing drugs, otherwise I would not be able to consume coffee or nicotine or Ritalin or have drinks with clients.

The players have figured out how to take them without being detected, so they must deal with informants now to obtain evidence to suspend players. They still don't have a test to detect the use of Human growth Hormone, and these steroids and hormones help players extend their careers.

On this, I agree. I actually think all professional sports should allow the use of any performance enhancing technology, for everyone. That is how we will advance the science of human performance, and continue to evolve.Medical science has made weaknesses that would have resulted in the end of your life non-threatening, so the basic Darwinian effect is now gone. We need to replace the evolutionary impulse with Science. Not Eugenics, but actual focused research on how to improve ourselves.However, until the rules are changed, anyone who breaks them gets an unfair advantage, and is a cheater.

Cheating is cheating. Cheaters besmirch the reputation of all players and the game. Only way to stop use of PEDs is to make it clear that it is a career ending action, and enforce life time bans for drug users. It just ain't that complicated boys. There is right and there is wrong. If BB players want respect they must banish the cheaters from their midst.

A Rod is a cheater. Only cheaters will support him in his quest for the hall of fame. He belongs to the ages along with Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong and those new york bankers. They all were motivated by one thing, themselves, full stop.

that's not cool man. i am not a cheater and i like him.i didn't like him because he cheated. i liked him because it wasn't just stats; the way he accrued those stats was both memorable and inspiring. what else do you want from an HOF baseball player?!

And he epitomizes the culture of New York: screw the rules, screw the little guy, I get mine, win at any cost. It's the exact same attitude that means the rest of the country, and world, doesnt' trust Wall Street.

There is a logic to this statement. If evidence is presented that is judged to be unreliable then it is "false" evidence, meaning that it cannot be admitted as evidence. Its much like hearsay evidence.

Uphill battle to reverse an arbitration award in Federal Court based on legal standard to do so. MLB took option of bringing the case under the drug agreement and not "in the best interest of baseball." Finally A-Rod makes the best legal argument that he did not violate the drug agreement and the evidence is the MLB did not drug test per the agreement, hence, no violation. Federal Court could find arbitrator abused his authority since no underlying violation of collectively bargained drug agreement. I will go out on a limb and say Federal Court throws out the award, unless a settlement on the number of games before decision.

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